Find out how popular the last name DeVaughn is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named DeVaughn.

DeVaughn, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the DeVaughn surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of DeVaughn in America

DeVaughn is the 14268th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The DeVaughn surname appeared 2,099 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname DeVaughn.

We can also compare 2010 data for DeVaughn to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name DeVaughn

The surname DeVaughn has its origins in France, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French words "de" meaning "of" and "vaughan" which referred to a small valley or hollow. This suggests that the name likely originated from a place name, perhaps a village or town located in a valley region.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Victor de Marseille, a medieval manuscript from the 12th century. It mentions a certain "Guillelmus de Vaughan" who was a witness to a land transaction in the year 1178.

Another notable historical reference is the Codex Diplomaticus Rheno-Mosellanus, a collection of medieval documents from the Rhineland region. In this text, a "Johannes de Vaughan" is listed as a landowner in the village of Boppard, near Koblenz, in the year 1237.

In the 13th century, the name appears to have spread to England, likely due to the Norman conquest and the migration of French settlers. One of the earliest recorded examples in English records is a "Roger de Vaughan" who is mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1285.

During the Middle Ages, the name was also found in various spellings such as de Vaughan, de Vaughan, and de Vaughayn, reflecting regional differences in pronunciation and spelling conventions.

Notable individuals with the surname DeVaughn include:

1. William DeVaughn (1939-), an American singer and songwriter best known for his hit song "Be Thankful for What You Got" in 1974.

2. John DeVaughn (1925-2004), an American actor and screenwriter who appeared in several TV shows and films in the 1950s and 1960s.

3. Elizabeth DeVaughn (1696-1768), an American colonial woman who became famous for her role in defending her home during the French and Indian War in what is now Pennsylvania.

4. Reginald DeVaughn (1970-), an American R&B and neo-soul singer who has released several albums since the early 2000s.

5. Robert DeVaughn (1918-2004), an American academic and historian who served as the president of Ohio Wesleyan University from 1970 to 1984.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name DeVaughn

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname DeVaughn.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for DeVaughn was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of DeVaughn has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name DeVaughn was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of DeVaughn, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!